Fact: Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis emphasized the importance of international collaboration to overcome challenges facing the tourism sector during the 70th Session of the Europe Commission of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in Tirana.
Floods engulfed cities and towns across Russia and Kazakhstan after major rivers burst their banks, forcing about 110,000 people to evacuate and swamping parts of Orenburg in Russia.
The 2023 wildfire season in Europe was one of the worst this century, with over half a million hectares scorched. The three worst years for wildfires in the century were 2017, 2022, and 2007. Fires intensified during the summer of 2023, especially in the Mediterranean region. Climate change is causing more frequent wildfires, with areas previously not considered fire-prone now being affected. Preliminary data for the first three months of 2024 show almost double the average number of fires. The wildfires in 2023 produced around 20 megatonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to a third of all emissions from international aviation in the EU in one year. The final 2023 report, including national contributions, will be published in the autumn.
Investors and traders are cautious ahead of the release of US inflation data, which is expected to rise to 3.4%. If the data exceeds expectations, there is a possibility of a significant market sell-off.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said his team must prove they are worthy of being among Europe’s top-eight teams as they prepare to host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of over 2,000 Swiss women who claimed Switzerland had not done enough to combat climate change. This ruling is expected to encourage more people to bring climate cases against governments.
Cyprus is hosting the World Health Organisation’s meeting of the small countries initiative in the European region. The meeting will focus on cancer, health and climate change, and countries will report progress on various health-related issues.
More than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Russia and Kazakhstan due to severe flooding caused by swiftly melting snow. The Ural and Tobol rivers reached their highest levels ever recorded, with the Ural River bursting through an embankment dam. President Putin spoke to President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, where over 86,000 people have been evacuated. The flooding affected regions bordering Russia and was described as the worst in 80 years. Despite warnings, some residents ignored evacuation calls, prompting officials to urge them to take the situation seriously. Scientists attribute the severity of the floods to climate change.
The Great Sea Interconnector project will offer triple benefits to Cyprus, including better energy security, a ‘green mix’ of power generation, and cheaper energy for all consumers.
Cyprus is one of four countries in Europe hosting a receiving earth station deployed as part of the search and rescue service of the EU Galileo system.